AMA pushes for easier access to medical marijuana

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – The federal government is getting pressure from an unlikely group to make marijuana more easily available, the American Medical Association.

Currently, marijuana is classified as a dangerous, schedule one drug with no accepted medical use. The AMA says if the government will change that classification, which could open the door to more research to find out if medicinal marijuana can be a real benefit to some patients, like Ryan Vincent.

Vincent uses it through a vaporizer to relieve the pressure in his eyes, but he says he understands that the benefit of marijuana comes with potentially dangerous side effects. "I actually found that forced air vaporization, I can turn it on and actually blow it into my eye, and it can alleviate the pressure in almost five seconds," he said. "That kind of relief, I can't even explain it."

Dr. David Beuther, a pulmonologist, adds that patients may also experience a lack of concentration and memory function after using marijuana regularly for some time. "If you smoke regularly, say one or two joints a day on a chronic basis, that's probably no better than and perhaps even worse than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day," said Dr. Beuther. "So, the risk of lung cancer is increased by 5 or 6 fold."

Dr. Beuther adds that patients may also experience a lack of concentration and memory function after using marijuana regularly for some time.